The Coldest Parts of Our Hearts
by ChinaDollMaiden
Summary: In the middle of Natasha and Clint's wedding, Odin objects, and explains that it was arranged long ago that Natasha be married to his adopted son, Loki. But Asgard and Midgard are on the brink of war, and their marriage is essential to their survival. Neither are happy, but if it's for the sake of both their realms, they must learn to adjust. Slight AU, explained inside. Lokasha.
1. Prologue

**Ay yo we gon' get it right hurr dis da remiiix.**

**Well this is my first Lokasha/Lotasha/Blackfrost/whatever you wanna call it fiction. And I hope you enjoy it. It shall contain multiple chapters. This ain't no oneshot.**

**As I stated in the prompt, slight AU. The battle in the movie hasn't happened (yet), and we (the characters I'm using, such as the members of the Avengers and Pepper and whatnot) don't know Thor or Loki, or even know that Asgard exists (however, Thor has met Jane). Loki has known about his heritage from the moment he could understand words, and isn't nearly as upset as he is in the films, but is still slightly bitter about it. And I'm not gonna lie, there won't be a lot of action. There will be some, but not a lot.  
**

**PS there will be a lot of fluff in upcoming chappies okay? Okay. (But I mean chappies in the far future.) Also this first chapter will be short.  
**

* * *

This was the day. The day where her entire life became her biggest fantasy. And the day everything ended.

Many people mistake these events for two separate happenings. Well, for Agent Natasha Romanoff, they were one and the same.

Today was her wedding day. She was marrying none other than her infamous partner in crime, Clint "Hawkeye" Barton. Yes, she loved him. She loved him more than she could possibly say.

But who's to decide whether your wedding day, whether it's your first or your last wedding, is the best day of your life? And for that matter, who's to decide if it's the worst?

Natasha was throwing her career as a SHIELD agent away, however temporarily. Only for a year or so to get settled into her new lifestyle. But for that year, while she could clutch at her firearms however much she wanted, she wouldn't feel the thrill of actually firing one.

But that's besides the point. The point is, Natasha Romanoff was going to get more than she bargained for on her wedding day. And there was nothing she could do about it.

* * *

"Natasha, do you need help with the dress?"

Natasha looked over her shoulder at the large white doors. Pepper.

"Come in, Pepper," she said. Quietly, but loudly enough to be heard. The doors swung open and the tall, thin redhead peeked her head in. Pepper shook her head when she saw that Natasha was still sitting on the cream satin boudoir stool, her icy blue stare at her own reflection unwavering. A half empty glass of white wine sat on the table next to her.

Natasha wore no makeup yet. Her calculating stare was fixed on her own imperfections. Her dark under eye circles. The small scar right above her upper lip. The area around her lips, which was a slightly different color than the rest of her skin. However her concentration was broken when Pepper's freckled arm reached in front of her, severing her own image, to reach the wine glass.

"Natasha," Pepper scolded, "you shouldn't be drinking this close to the ceremony." Pepper continued to search for a bottle, but ceased when Natasha informed her that she only had one glass. Pepper continued to search the room, but for something different.

"What are you looking for?"

"Your dress. You've got less than an hour before the ceremony begins, and you're still sitting there in your robe."

"It's still in its box, Pepper," Natasha said with a sigh. Pepper made a beeline for the white box that was sitting in a chair. While Pepper tried to gather the large amount of fabric in her arms, without success, Natasha began carefully applying her makeup. After finally getting the dress out of the box, Pepper motioned for Natasha to stand and join her. Natasha did so, reluctantly.

After dressing, Natasha slipped on her shoes and stood in front of the full body mirror. Pepper, awed by how beautiful the bride was in her gown, smiled uncontrollably.

The dress was simple, but tasteful. It was strapless, but it did not dip down in the center of the bodice to show cleavage. It was a simple line. The skirt covered her feet, but didn't impair movement. It has a small, manageable train in the back. The only bit of the dress that was in the least bit extravagant was the small amount of lace that covered the deep v shape in the back of the bodice. Her shoes were a pair of white slingback peeptoe heels with a single white bead on the upper part. Plain and simple.

At that moment, Steve, or as you know him, Captain America, knocked on the door before slowly opening.

"Miss Romanoff, are you ready? The band is ready to kick off the ceremony."

* * *

Natasha held Tony Stark's forearm firmly in her trained hand. Though she was trained to feel no emotions in any chosen situation, as much as she hated it, she could feel her face burning, turning red with anxiety. The two began to walk down the aisle.

Only a few, trusted people attended. Coulson, Banner, Steve, and of course, Stark and Pepper were attending. Fury also sat in the benches, holding an emotionless face, but she knew he was happy for both of them.

"Thank you for giving me away, Mr. Stark," she whispered with a shaky voice. Tony nodded, leaning down to whisper back.

"Anything for my _second_ favorite SHIELD agent."

"You mean it?"

"No. You're definitely my favorite."

She had stop breathing for a moment, lest she giggle and ruin the moment.

Before she knew it, they were there. She looked at Clint's stern face, and immediately all her worries about their marriage and their career and _everything_ were washed away by his ocean blue eyes. But as soon as they left, another anxiety replaced them. But one she couldn't explain. As Tony leaned down to give her a hug before he handed her to Clint, Natasha whispered in his ear.

"Something doesn't feel right. I don't know what, but something's going to happen."

"What do you mean?"

"I have a feeling in my gut."

"Probably just the nerves talking, dear. Now, I think Clint wants me to give you up."

She silently protested, just barely holding onto Tony's hand, but Clint took the hand and looked at her lovingly.

She was entirely distracted. She couldn't shake her gut feeling that something...big...was going to happen, and very, very soon. It seemed like only seconds had passed, but soon she found her ears hearing the priest asking the audience if here were any objections to the marriage of this couple.

All was silent.

But just as she thought no one would object, the huge wooden double doors burst open, flooding the room with a bright, while light. Through the doors stepped a large, very toned man with shoulder length blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore the strangest set of armor, a red cape, and on top of that, carried a heavy-looking silver hammer. Behind him, a much older man stood, a stern expression gracing his face. One eye was covered, giving him a battle hardened aura.

There was a third man. Much different from the other two. Long, black, slicked hair covered his head. Rather than red and silver, he wore a blackish pewter accompanied by a deep green. And in place of the baby blue eyes of his companions, his eyes were a stunning green hazel. Group those together with his sharp jawline and toned, but not unattractively muscled body, and he was a very handsome man with a regal feel to him.

The eldest man stepped forward, and with a booming voice, he announced his presence.

"I object to the marriage of Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff."

* * *

**Well, it's short, but I'll have more coming in hopefully a little while. Won't be longer than a few days. Hope you like it.**

**Note: I'm sorry I haven't updated any of my other stories in such a long time, but oh god I am completely obsessed with LokiXNatasha now SORRY.**


	2. Departure

**Official chapter one is now up! WOO!**

**Thanks for the reviews, glad you like the story! Let's get this show on the road!**

* * *

The chapel was silent. Natasha could swear she had tears welling up in her eyes. This must have been what her gut feeling was telling her. She just wasn't expecting anything like this.

Tony, being the most confident of them all, was the first to step up and speak.

"Though we all appreciate your dramatic entrance, I think I speak for all of us when I say we'd like to know who you three are," and though his voice still held a trace of his signature sarcastic joking tone, he was defensive against these strangers. Clint was showing signs of great anger. He instantly whipped out his bow and arrows, which he kept stashed underneath the nearest bench. Taking out his most threatening and dangerous arrow, and aiming it directly at the blonde man, he snarled at them.

"And why you felt the need to interrupt my wedding."

The older one motioned with his hand, and the large blonde man put down his large hammer with a loud thud. The man with the black hair, who hadn't brought anything that seemed even remotely dangerous, merely stared at Natasha, who couldn't help but stare back. The eldest stepped forward.

"My name is Odin, ruler of Asgard-"

"What in the hell is Asgard?" Fury took this chance to interrupt. Odin sent a glare at Fury's good eye, but did nothing to stop him. After all, it's only reasonable that when three strange men they've never met interrupt a wedding, they'd have questions. The blonde man interrupted Odin.

"My name is Thor, son of Odin, and this is my brother, Loki," he motioned to the black haired man, who in response rolled his eyes. "And though I regret to say it, this wedding cannot take place." Tony was quick to talk back.

"Uh, says who? You?"

"Sir, if you don't back off right now-" Fury started, but was cut off by Odin, who was beginning to get irritable.

"The safety of both our realms depends on your cooperation. If you would kindly lower your weapons, I would like to discuss further information with you."

The room fell silent. For nearly a solid minute, while Fury held Odin's glare, and Tony held Thor's, the only sound that could be heard was the small click of Pepper's heels as she slowly began to back away. Fury finally lowered his pistol, motioning for the others to copy his action.

"I suppose I should hear you out," he said with a certain reluctance.

* * *

The priest had long since fled. All eight of the remaining men stood in a group, arguing furiously about what Odin and his two sons had come to say.

And unfortunately, Natasha was left out of the conversation. She sat in her beautiful white gown, staring at the deep red carpeting of the chapel floors. Pepper wandered over to sit with her, placing a hand on her shoulder, but Natasha merely brushed her hand away. Less than a minute later, Natasha found herself standing, stomping over to the large circle of men, and wedged her way into the group by shoving herself between Tony and Bruce's arms.

"I demand to know what is going on _right_ now," she snarled, "You wouldn't have interrupted my wedding if it didn't have something to do with _me_ or _Clint_, and I know it's not Clint because I've heard my name _several_ times now. If someone doesn't explain right this moment, I _will_ start firing rounds!"

Odin calmly placed his wrinkling hand on the bridge of his nose.

"I suppose I will explain. You are correct, we are here for you," he said. He took Natasha by the hand and led her to the large doors that led outside. Gesturing to the bustling people and fast cars, he continued, "Natasha, you see your world. It is a strong, prosperous world. Though plagued by war many times, humans have always been able to overcome war victoriously."

But speaking for the first time was Loki.

"Father, please, we don't have much time."

"You will be _silent_, Loki!" Odin growled, and Loki stepped back with caution. Continuing, Odin let go of Natasha. "If your people do not cooperate, this world, and everything you know, everyone in it, will be in great peril."

Natasha could feel her head beginning to spin.

"And though I can understand your current state, I implore you..."

The extravagant decorations about the inside of the chapel where blurring.

"...to cooperate. You see, the reason we are here..."

Her face was red and hot to the touch.

"...is to discuss your _marriage_ with another man..."

Her stomach...oh, her stomach...it began to feel the same as if she were about to be sick.

"A marriage to form an alliance between your realm and ours..."

She could feel all eyes in the room on her, and it made her nauseous.

"A marriage with my son...Loki."

Those were the last words Natasha heard, accompanied by the gasps of others and the screams of rage that came from Clint, before she collapsed onto the floor, her head spinning violently and her vision blackening. She felt two strong arms catching her, and she assumed it was Clint before she lost consciousness.

* * *

Natasha could feel her senses returning. She could hear voices. Fuzzy, but she managed to catch a few words.

"...she wouldn't be able to handle this news, Father. You should have listened!"

"Thor, though I agree with you, I also agree with Loki. We haven't much time left, and we must act now."

Loki...where was he?

Natasha looked around, not finding him, but she saw Clint looking at her. But if Clint was there, then who caught her?

...shit.

She looked up, confirming her suspicions. There, though his hands did not touch her at the moment, was Loki. His hands were held next to his head, displaying all his long fingers, in a defensive pose. She looked back at Clint, and he was in fact pointing an arrow right at Loki's heart. Natasha's reflexes kicked in, and she leaped up, standing in between Loki and Clint's arrow.

"Barton," she warned, using his surname in place of his first name to display her seriousness, "_stand down_." Though Clint lowered his weapon, he didn't remove the arrow from the string. "Now...Odin...what makes you think you can just walk in here and demand my cooperation?"

"Lady Natasha, has no one told you?" He shook his head with disappointment. "Your betrothal to Loki was decided at his discovery. He is over a thousand years your elder," Odin said, and this little fact made Natasha want to vomit, "but our Oracles had foreseen this war, and they foresaw you in Loki's future." Natasha shook her head.

"You said he was your son, why was he discovered?" She quipped. Odin began to answer, but Loki held his hand up.

"At least let me answer this question for myself, father," he said, and Odin nodded.

"I am not the true son of Odin. I am not...fully...Jotunn," he explained with a grimace. "Half of the blood that runs through my veins is of Frost Giant." Natasha breathed heavily.

"What is this, a Norwegian fairy tale?" Loki continued.

"I was not born in Jotunheim - our home - but rather, I was discovered. Father...Odin...after conquering the home of the Frost Giants, found me. He did not kill me, for in Jotunheim, a warrior who kills a helpless child is spat on for it is cowardly, and one of our highest forms of disrespect to kill a helpless being. He took me into his home, and for that I am grateful. But I cannot stand here and tell you everything, we must leave for Asgard _now_. Odin leaving Asgard was risky enough, but all three of us was a very dangerous move. The Frost Giants could start a war on your realm _at any given time_."

Natasha could see that the matter was urgent. Thor and Odin were restless, and while Loki explained, they seemed to discuss something of dire importance. She sighed, holstering her gun on her leg.

"So what's the plan?"

"Natasha, you can't be ser-" Clint started, but was interrupted.

"_If_ what they say is true, Clint...if there really is a war coming...I can't only take my own feelings into account. I need to think for the sake of mankind," she said. "This is so much bigger than you and I, Clint. I can't marry you knowing I'll be dooming my species by doing so."

"But they could be lying! What if they're just a bunch of _frauds_, Nat?"

"_And what if they aren't!_" She screamed, trembling with anger and frustration. She looked at Fury, who nodded. Walking up to Odin, she looked him dead in the eye.

"I will go with you. Without resistance." She said calmly. Odin nodded firmly, but Natasha hadn't finished. "...on one condition. You allow me to come back to Earth once every six months." Odin, though he thought for a moment, didn't seem to think her condition a problem, as he nodded.

"Say your goodbyes now, Lady Natasha of Midgard, for you will not be seeing your companions for a long time."

Walking over to Pepper, Natasha smiled wearily, and was swiftly brought in for a hug by the redhead.

"I'll be seeing ya, Nat. Stay safe," she said, her voice trembling. After hugging Bruce and Steve, she moved on to Tony. A quick kiss on the cheek from him and a strange mixture between a laugh and a choking sob from her, she moved on to Fury. Fury hugged her, leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"Be careful. Think of this as an undercover mission, Agent."

She nodded gravely, and finally moved on to say goodbye to her lover.

"Clint-"

"Don't, Natasha," he silenced her. "I know that you're doing this for mankind. And I know it's for the best," he took in a shuddering breath, "but accepting that fact doesn't make it any easier."

Instead of words, their farewell was merely a chaste, but long and painful kiss. They ended with Natasha in tears, Clint on the verge of them, and three very impatient Jotunns. Odin stepped forward, handing the Tesseract to Loki.

"Loki, you and Lady Natasha will use the Tesseract to return to Asgard. You must return to Jotunheim as soon as possible. Thor and I will find the correct location to use the Bridge," Odin commanded.

Loki took the large, glowing blue artifact and motioned for Natasha to join him.

"Take the handle on the other side of the Tesseract, and I will activate it so we may return," he instructed her. Taking a deep breath, she gripped the handle as instructed by Loki.

And as she felt herself being enveloped in the blue mist of the Tesseract, she couldn't help but think to herself that maybe, deep down, this wedding was never what she truly wanted.

* * *

**Not a whole lot longer than the prologue, but hey, give me time.**

**I would have had it up earlier, but I was watching The Titanic. It was the first time I had seen the entire movie. Before tonight, I had only seen bits and pieces of it, but now I can finally say that I've seen The Titanic!**

**I'll probably update soon. Happy Independence Day to all my American readers! Hope you have a great day filled with grilled food, baseball games, fireworks and fun! I know I will**

**And to those who don't celebrate on the 4th of July, I hope you have a fantastic day!**


	3. Getting a Head Start

**Okay, this time I promise I worked harder and thought more about what I should write. Yeah, I know, the pacing has been kinda fast, and that's my fault, really. But I promise it's gonna go a lot slower this time (at least towards the middle and end, the first few paragraphs are quick, but that's because of the urgency of war), and rather than 1 or 2 thousand words, I give you...**

***drumroll please***

**4079 WORDS.**

**I just wanted to let you guys know that this chapter will not likely contain the wedding. It's gonna be one of those stories where they marry before they like each other, but they get used to it and actually like it later. ;)  
**

**Enjoy this much longer second chapter! (PS Loki's gonna be a _little_ cruel in this chapter. Just a little. I have to make at least one chapter in which Loki is rather unkind to Natasha because it's that much sexier. But don't worry, he's not being mean for the sake of it. He's just really upset that his marriage was decided for him and he's unintentionally taking it out on her. He'll get nice again real soon. :) HOWEVER HE IS THE GOD OF MISCHIEF...)  
**

* * *

Natasha hit the ground and she hit it hard. The impact had knocked her breath from her body and she was struggling to recover. Before she could even begin to breathe again, Loki's strong grip was slipping underneath her lithe body and was carrying her weight. Coughing, and quite afraid of falling again, she held her arms around Loki's neck, sputtering into his chest plate. Once she stopped and began to breathe again, he set her down on the rainbow bridge and walked away without a single word. She only assumed she had to follow him.

It was a struggle to keep up with his pace. His legs were longer and faster, and she had to jog in order to come close to keeping up. Not to mention she was still wearing her gown and heels.

"Loki, wai-"

"Like I said back at Midgard, we don't have much time. The marriage will take place in two days time," he said, never turning his head back to look at her.

"But Loki, will you please tell me a little bit more about the situation?" She begged, actually having to break out into a run to catch up.

"I'm afraid I cannot. I am taking you to meet Frigga, my mother. She will explain and help you prepare for your duties," he said, finally slowing down enough, only to grab her arm and half guide, half drag her to a large golden set of doors.

"Frigga awaits you behind these doors. I would stay with you, but I have an urgent meeting with my Father and Brother to attend," Loki said, but noticed the thin veil or perspiration that was draped over her skin. "Lady Natasha..."

"Yeah?" she said, with a certain bite of anxiety and nerve to her tone.

"Do not be nervous, and do not be afraid. My mother is one of the kindest Asgardians you will meet," he said, placing a hand on her arm in an effort to comfort his bride-to-be. If they were to be married, he might as well get used to being with her. Natasha nodded, gulping down saliva in a vain attempt to wet her parched throat.

"I must leave you, Lady Natasha," he said, and without another word, he turned and once again glided down the long, wide hallway.

Natasha was alone. The large golden doors reached all the way up to the ceiling, which was tens, if not hundreds of feet above her. On the golden door was a large doorknocker in the shape of a large lion.

Taking the doorknocker in her hand was one of the most difficult tasks she'd ever done. Not only because she was a nervous wreck, but because they were literally some of the heaviest things she had ever touched. In order to pull the knocker back enough to make a noise, she had to put her entire body's weight into the task. Finally, when she got back far enough, she let go, stumbling backwards, and braced herself for the booming noise. It was a boom indeed. She nearly had to cover her ears.

Not a moment after the knock echoes through the halls, the doors began to slowly creak open. The space was only large enough to fit a small human child, and she found herself, once again, having to throw her entire weight into opening the door. Squeezing through, she looked around the large room.

It was nearly entirely golden. The walls were a beautiful golden color, and were intricately hand carved with extravagant design.

The bed that stretched before her looked as if it were large enough to fit every currently active SHIELD agent _and then some_. The sheets were a dark burgundy wine color, and she swore if she inhaled, she would be able to smell the oaky scent of a rich red wine. The pillows were a startlingly pure white, and were perhaps the softest and most comfortable pillows she had ever touched. She sat on the bed and immediately sunk into the comfort of the mattress and the cashmere blankets. A bedspread made of a soft black and grey fur, almost resembling the fur of a gray wolf, was thrown over the blankets. She ran her fingers through the soft hairs. Gingerly, at first, but then she whole-heartedly dug her fingers into the soft fur.

"Is it to your liking?"

Natasha jumped and held a hand at her bosom. She let out a nervous, shaky breath and scanned the room to find the source of the voice. An older, but no less beautiful woman stood in the doorway. She effortlessly closed the heavy doors.

"Once you have been married to my son Loki, these will be your sleeping chambers," she said with a soft smile on her regal face. She sauntered over to Natasha, who wanted to look at her, but found herself unable. "I am Frigga, wife of Odin and mother of Thor and Loki."

Natasha quickly stood, nodding politely. Curtsying and bowing was below her, and besides, soon she would also be royalty, so what's the point?

"My name is Natasha Romanoff," she introduced herself with a monotonous voice. Frigga smiled delicately, walking closer to her soon to be daughter in law.

"Please, sit, my dear," Frigga said, gesturing to the bedspread that Natasha was previously stroking. Apprehensively, she returned to her seat on the bed, and Frigga waltzed over to join her.

"Now," she said, "I know that you were not told everything about your current situation. Tell me, what _have_ they told you?"

"Only that there's a possibility of a war between...this place, Asgard...and my home, Earth. They said that my marriage to your son would form an alliance and it would keep my home safe," Natasha replied. Frigga nodded, a more serious look on her face.

"They truly have not told you all that you need to know."

Standing, Frigga sighed, staring at the floor in deep thought. After a moment, she looked back at Natasha, smiling softly.

"Come," she uttered, "while I explain, I will show you the wonder that is Asgard."

* * *

Still dressed in her wedding attire, Natasha even struggled to keep up with Frigga, though Frigga walked much more leisurely than Loki had.

Already, they were outside the palace. Breathing the air, Natasha discovered that it was so pure in comparison to the polluted air of Earth. The air itself carried a sweet, fresh scent and she couldn't help but inhale deeply, over and over again.

"What is it, dear?" Frigga inquired, "Could it be you smell something on the wind?" Natasha shook her head.

"It's just that...back on Earth - uh, Midgard, - our air is breathable, but it's terribly polluted. I've never breathed air this pure," Natasha explained.

Moving on, Frigga then began to explain their situation.

"Long ago - over a thousand years ago - we found Loki. You see, Loki was not born to us," she said. "My dear husband, Odin, was at war with the Jotunns."

Already inquisitive, Natasha opened her mouth to ask why. However, Frigga knew what was coming before it had.

"Asgard's values for the universe were very different from Jotunheim's. As it had always been in our history, Asgard and Jotunheim did not see eye to eye. One day, after a fierce battle in Jotunheim, my husband found a baby. It was Frost Giant, Jotunn."

Frigga stopped walking and sighed.

"But the baby he found was terribly small. Even by Asgardian standards, it was undersized." Natasha already knew that she was talking about Loki. It's not like it was hard to figure out.

"And that was Loki? If he was a Frost Giant, why did Odin save him?" Natasha inquired.

"It was against Asgardian laws to kill an innocent, harmless infant. Enemy or not, a baby is defenseless, and committing this crime was considered cowardly. And though he was half Jotunn, he was also half Asgardian."

"So you took him in?" Natasha finished.

"Yes," Frigga said, confirming. "Odin, in truth, took the child, whom we later named Loki, in hopes that in the future, he would be able to establish an alliance with Jotunheim."

"And did he?"

"Yes, Odin was successful in creating an alliance with the Jotunns. For now, our homes are at peace with one another, though all may not agree with it. The reason we have called you here is similar."

"You want to create an alliance?"

"Correct. If this were just a matter between Midgard and Asgard, we would have simply married Thor to Jane, his Midgardian lover. Asgard and Midgard are at peace. However..."

"Jotunheim and Midgard are not," Natasha finished. Frigga nodded.

"We do not want your realm to become threatened by the Jotunns. Though most Midgardians do not know of our existence, we are adamant in out defense of you. By marrying Loki to a Midgardian, it will create a jointed alliance between all three worlds."

"Now I see. What I don't understand, though," Natasha said with a confused expression on her face, "is why I'm the one who has to marry your son. Couldn't you pick another person from Earth?"

"I feel sympathy for you in your situation. It must seem unfair of us, a world of strangers you never dreamed existed, to interrupt your _wedding_, of all days, and steal you away to marry another. Do not take this as an insult, but if it were my choice, I _would_ have chosen another."

"Whose choice was it, then?"

"None of the Asgardians are responsible for choosing you. You see, I am a goddess. I am the goddess of many things. Of love, marriage, and of destiny. I can foresee the future of everything you see around you. I can foresee the future of Asgard itself, even hundreds of thousands of years in advance. But what I see in my foresight I cannot change," Frigga explained with great care. "Even if I want to."

Natasha and Frigga stopped on the Rainbow Bridge. The shimmering, translucently golden and multi-colored bridge made Natasha nervous that she may fall through, but Frigga seemed to sense her anxiety and hooked her arm with Natasha's.

Staring up at the sun soaked apricot sky, Frigga pointed out to two planets. One was a large, banded vermillion planet, similar in looks to Jupiter. The second was a cold mix of cobalt and pewter, and significantly smaller than the other planet.

"See that red planet? That is the planet of Vanaheimr. While they are our allies, they are very wise and knowledgeable. Do not underestimate their cunning and wit. They have the most quiet history of war in all the Nine Worlds. You will learn more about Asgard and the Nine worlds in your studies soon to come."

Pointing to the blue gray planet next, she spoke again.

"That," she said, "is Jotunnheim. Home of the Frost Giants."

"It's smaller than I imagined," Natasha confessed. "For a planet that houses the Frost _Giants_, I figured it would be larger."

"Do not be fooled by its meager appearance. Though their planet is small, the Jotunns are one of the most prosperous groups of beings in this realm," she warned. "After your marriage to my son, you will be spending a month in Jotunheim to ensure a good relationship between our homes."

"I guess I'd better dress warmly for the next month, then," Natasha joked. Frigga laughed softly, and began to lead Natasha to another area.

Natasha realized, then and there, looking at the planet that she would be spending the next month on over her shoulder, that she was more nervous about this marriage than she had ever been in her entire life.

But as she and Frigga drew closer to the bedroom again, it had never been more obvious to her that she had never wanted to marry Clint.

* * *

In another room, Loki stood arguing with his Brother and Father.

"Loki, I realize you are unhappy about-"

"Unhappy? That, father, is an understatement. I do not know the smallest detail about her. She is a Midgardian!" Loki spat the word Midgardian as though it brought a sour taste to his tongue.

"Loki-"

"I have done my best to be polite to her to this point, but I do not know how much longer I can keep up this dreadful facade!"

"Brother, you should not speak so lowly of the Midgardians," Thor advised his brother. "I felt similarly about them, but then I met Jane-"

"Do not speak of Jane now, Brother!" he said, utterly annoyed. "I think we _all_ know of your affection for her."

This immediately shut Thor up.

And though he wasn't sure how he had done it, but Loki was very proud of himself for silencing his brother.

"Your Brother is right, Loki. You should not condemn what you do not understand."

"That is easy for you to say, father. You never had to marry one!"

Storming out of the room, Loki wanted nothing more than to lie down, rest his head on something soft, close his eyes, and _sleep_. He made his way to his new bedroom in order to do just that.

He opened the huge golden doors and-

And then he found himself on the polished stone floors, face down.

Craning his neck to look over his shoulder, he found himself pinned down by none other than Natasha, who was cradling her chest, which was otherwise bare. Her Midgardian wedding dress hung loosely on her hips. She then sighed unpleasantly, easing herself off of her new fiance.

"Sorry. Reflexes."

Standing up slowly, Loki said nothing at first, only glared. But he sighed, and decided perhaps Thor had a point. No, he didn't know anything about her, and perhaps that was why he should try to change that.

Just now now. Because she was naked.

"I'll, uh...I'll just step out for a moment while you change."

Stepping out and shutting the large golden doors behind him, he stood silently, waiting while he heard her stumbling around, presumably searching for a suitable outfit. At one point, he heard a sudden, slightly muffled shuffle of furniture, and her swearing to herself. She must have stubbed her toe.

Finally, she opened the door. And no matter how prejudiced he was about the Midgardians, he could not deny that she looked lovely.

The dress was a soft olive green, empire waist dress that reached all the way down to the floor, covering her feet. The neckline was mostly straight, but had a slight curve downward that showed off a little cleavage. Though the sleeves reached almost past her palms, her shoulders were bare of any fabric whatsoever. The long skirt portion of the dress had a sheer, lighter olive lace skirt layered over it. Her nails were painted a light, slightly shimmered flesh tone, almost matching her own skin perfectly.

Her lips were a simple pale pink that did not distract from the eyes, which were perfectly shadowed with a medium brown color. The green of her dress brought out the demure pink flush on her cheeks and gave her a virginal, innocent look.

But he knew better. She was far from innocent.

She was, after all, an assassin.

"Lady Natasha," he said with a nod. "You...look nice."

"Thank you...Loki."

And that about summed up their interaction. They may be engaged, but neither were happy about it.

* * *

"Now, Natasha, you may not be _Queen_ of Asgard after the ceremony, but you will be a princess, and princesses must look the part. In both style _and_ posture."

She wasn't sure how it all happened, but here she was. Walking on a tightrope beam in two and a half inch heels. _Balancing a book on her head_.

Given that she was, in fact, going to be royalty in two day's time. So she was being given lessons by Frigga on the proper behavior of a princess.

And though he wasn't here, Odin had ordered that, in order to become better acquainted with his wife to be, Loki be present during these lessons. And though he weren't a princess, he did know more about how royalty should behave than she did.

And Thor was there. Just for fun.

"Lady Natasha," Thor called from a chair across the room, "you should not rely too heavily on using your arms for balance."

Oh, she was two seconds away from pulling out her gun and-

Oh wait. She didn't have any guns here in Asgard. Crap.

Her train of thought lost, the book, which might as well be the damn dictionary, slid off her head and made a clamorous noise that echoed throughout the, in her opinion, unnecessarily _large_ throne room.

"Loki, you should help her."

Damn that Thor.

"I am not a princess, brother. I am a _prince_."

"Loki, darling, please," Frigga pleaded, gently trying to coax him into spending some time with Natasha.

And there was Loki's downfall. Stubborn as he was, even if she wasn't his biological mother, he always did what she wanted. Perhaps it was because he felt that, unlike Odin, she did not favor one son over the other.

Loki stood from his chair and slowly walked over to Natasha. As he drew closer, Natasha snarled at him.

"Don't. Say. A Word. Don't come _any_ closer."

The way she just acted like she was already ruler of Asgard made him sick.

Yet, he strangely enjoyed it.

"Well, since I repulse you so-"

"Glad we have an understanding."

"-_and the feeling is mutual_...I will use that to your advantage. I will walk next to you, and you must try not to fall on me."

"Well what about my other side, dumbass?"

Loki was this close to doing something _very_ ungentlemanly.

"For that, I will use my magic to conjure a doppelganger."

With a snap of his fingers, a virtual copy of Loki appeared on her other aside.

"Shall we begin?"

Natasha slowly placed one foot in front of the other, struggling greatly in the balance area. As much as she wanted to hold out her arms at both sides, every time she tried, Thor reprimanded her. She only had two days to learn this walk before she had to use it in action.

Back with Frigga and Thor, Frigga was overjoyed.

"Oh, Thor, I am so happy we finally have Loki's betrothed with us and under our wing!" She nearly sang under her breath so that neither of the two people would hear her. "Perhaps Loki will finally be happy."

"Though he has not shown much enthusiasm, I cannot deny that they seem right for one another," Thor mused to Frigga. "This Lady Natasha may be just what Loki needs."

Though as quiet as they were, they couldn't escape Loki's sharp hearing.

"Mother, Brother, _please_ stop gossiping!"

Unfortunately, this startled Natasha. With a surprisingly lady-like squeal, Natasha lost her balance, toppling over onto Loki. The _real_ Loki.

But this was no romantic situation. This was one of those awkward times when they end up painfully smashing their teeth together, someone bites their lip, and someone ends up twisting their ankle. Both groaning victims were now eyeing each other like they wanted to rip the other's throat out and hang it on their door as a display - or warning.

Unfortunately, this lovely display of clumsiness and pain now had the attention of their two person audience, and that audience was laughing and laughing _hard_.

"Mother, please!" Loki cried in dismay. As he stood, though, he found himself unable to detach himself from his fiance. Tugging harder, he was stopped by Natasha.

"Stop, Loki, stop!" she slapped his long bony hands away. "My dress is caught on all those damn pieces of armor. Why would you even _wear_ this, you don't need armor, you're not even _fighting_ anything!"

"Just - hold - _still_ - damn it!" Loki growled at her, which didn't threaten her in the least. Finally, Loki got her dress uncaught and was quick to fling himself as far away from her as he could.

And for the second time that day, Loki stormed out of the room and away from his sticky situation.

* * *

**Well, that concludes Chapter 2! I hope you liked it! I tried to slow it down a lot more, and I feel I did much better with pacing.**

**I hope you don't feel like Loki's too mean in this one. I thought he was delightfully snarky, as was Natasha.**

**But yeah, I think next chapter will have the wedding!**

**Also, here's your chance to get some input on the next chapter! In your review, I'd like you to tell me if I should have people from the Avengers initiative be invited to attend the wedding, or if it would be more realistic if they were to stay on Earth at the time of her wedding.**

**Let me know!**

**Until next chapter (which I will be working hard on, because I want their wedding to go just the way I want it to), friends!**

**Enjoy this chapter!**


	4. A Selfless Though

**Gonna try and top the length of last chapter. TRY. I actually started to write this the day after I published chapter 2, but I will still listen to your input on whether the rest of the Avengers should stay on Earth when the wedding happens, or if they should attend.**

**Also, to all the Sif fans, she will be appearing in this story! In this chapter actually. But you may not be pleased with her...sorry.  
**

**EEEE Okay, quick word count!**

**5315 words! (except when I bold a few things it counts as 8 words WHUT)**

**Okay enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Natasha woke up with veil of sweat draped over her collarbone. Not because she had a nightmare; no, that's silly. But it was because it seemed Asgard really valued it's warmth. During the day, Asgard seemed to be a perpetually active furnace. At night, however, it was like being frozen on the dark side of the moon. Luckily, her bedroom had a large fireplace. Except it was somehow always still burning when she woke up.

She didn't share a bedroom with Loki yet, _thank god_, but she knew she shouldn't count her blessings. Tomorrow, she would be.

Yawning and stretching, Natasha got out of her absurdly comfortable bed and rolled her hips to place her feet on the marble floor, but lo, there were several very large boxes blocking her way. With a message on the top.

_Natasha,_

_I took the liberty of traveling again to Midgard and brought some of your personal items to Asgard in hopes it will help you feel more at home._

_And please, do not murder me, for this action required me rifling through your drawer of undergarments._

_- Loki_

She didn't really care about this small fact. After all, they were going to be married in just one day, and it was very likely, unfortunately, that they would eventually engage in...fondue, as Steve so eloquently phrased it. But what concerned her more was that he sneaked these huge boxes into the room while she was sleeping, and not even her remarkable reflexes and light sleeping were disturbed._  
_

Whatever. It's probably some Asgardian thing she didn't know about.

Inside the boxes were piles upon piles of clothing from her own drawers. A picture album rested atop the pile filled with pictures of her and the other Avengers, particularly Clint, and several items that even belonged to Clint and the others that she had neglected to return. Loki must have thought they were hers.

But what really made her day was a separate box that was filled to the brim with every firearm she had stashed away in her apartment.

At least now he was actually trying to get along with her.

Getting dressed for the day, she decided that she would save all her clothes from home for a rainy day, and instead opted for an Asgardian ensemble.

The dress she chose was somewhat similar to the dress she wore yesterday, in that it was along sleeved empire waist and touched the floor, but that's where the similarities ended. Instead of a soft olive green, this dress was a deep cerulean, and rather than lace, it was all simple solid fabric.

Tying her short hair into a miniature bun, she heaved open the double doors and stepped outside her bedroom, where Thor was awaiting her awakening.

"Ah, Lady Natasha," he crooned, taking her delicate but strong hand in his own hand and kissing it lightly. He was surprisingly gentle for someone who possessed a bone crushing grip.

"Calm down, lover boy, I'm already spoken for," Natasha joked. Thor chuckled.

"I wouldn't dream of taking you from my dear brother," he said, still laughing a bit. Natasha took this opportunity to learn all she could about her soon to be husband.

"So, from what Frigga told me, Loki's not exactly popular with the ladies. Is that true?"

"Unfortunately, my mother speaks the truth. The females tended to avoid my poor younger brother, and instead fawned over me, or one of the stockier, stronger men."

"Surely Loki's strong too? And he's not that scrawny. Not as buff as you, but even through all the armor he wears I can tell there's some serious muscle going on," Natasha said.

"True, Loki is strong. But I am stronger."

"Ah, now you're boasting."

"T'is an unfortunate feature. But I recall one day Loki confiding in me of which lucky lady had gained his affections. This was far before he learned of his betrothal, mind you," Thor defended.

"Who was this lucky lady?" Natasha inquired.

"It was my good friend and fellow warrior, Lady Sif," Thor informed her, "of whom I assume you have not yet met. But I recall that in that very same day, Lady Sif approached me with a confession of her own feelings for _me_."

"Ouch, that's rough," Natasha said with a slight cringe. "What did you do?"

"I, of course, rejected Lady Sif...as gently as possible. Not only did I not return the affection in the same manner, but even if I had, I could never betray my own brother in such a manner."

"I bet she wasn't very happy about that," Natasha mused with a knowing nod. Thor laughed heartily.

"No, no she was not. But we were able to vanquish the issue like adults, and established a stronger friendship because of it. I am not entirely sure that her affection for me was fully quashed, but I doubt she feels as strongly as she did then."

"Did Sif ever find out about Loki's feelings?" Natasha wondered aloud.

"She has never said that she has, but she is the most clever of all my friends. Aside from Loki, that is, and I have no doubt in my mind that she eventually discovered this herself."

"Wow, sounds like you choose your friends well, Thor."

"I try," he said with a smile. "If you would like, Lady Natasha, I can take you to meet Lady Sif _now_."

Natasha pondered this idea for a moment. She wondered if it were really a good idea to meet the object of her fiance's childhood affections. For all she knew, maybe Loki still had feelings for Sif. She didn't blame him. Though she had already established that she didn't want to marry Clint, that didn't mean she didn't still love him.

But what harm could come of just meeting someone she'd likely meet in the near future anyways?

"That would be nice, Thor."

Thor led Natasha to a large room with training dummies made of many different materials. Some were wood, some were leather and hide, and some were even made of what looked like hard steel.

She recalled in her mind the directions to this room from her own bedroom and filed it away in her mind for future use. She was sure she'd become _very_ fond of it.

"There," Thor said, pointing to a tall, strong brunette, who was busy hacking away at one of the steel dummies with her enormous broadsword, "is Sif."

And just like that, Thor was gone, leaving Natasha alone to cross the long distance between her and her, hopefully, new ally.

Silently, and slightly nervously, she stood a few yards from the intensely training Sif. She wrung her hands. She really wasn't used to making friends. Her line of work never really required it. Sure, she had the other Avengers, but she met them through work. With Sif, she was on her own. And as she opened her mouth to say something, Sif beat her to it.

"Save it, _Natasha_," Sif snarled, spitting her name like it left a foul taste and not distracting herself from her training for a single moment.

"I...uh..." Natasha found herself at a loss for words. She'd never even met Sif before and she'd already made up her mind about Natasha. "...did I do something?"

"Well," Sif said, huffing large breaths as she finally stopped swinging her sword, "not you personally."

She picked up her sword again, bringing it down in one large swing and lopping off the dummy's head with little or no effort.

"I just hate Midgardians."

* * *

In the throne room, Frigga was frantically pacing back and forth in front of the large throne. The servants, however, were even more stressed than she, since they were doing all the work.

"_No!_ No no no, those flowers are all wrong!" Frigga screeched.

Thor and Loki were at her side in an instant.

"Mother, please," Loki said, holding her gently, "for the rest of the Kingdom's sake, _calm yourself_."

"Loki is right, Mother. You have done a splendid job of planning this wedding on such late notice, and you have the whole day to finish."

Frigga, though she initially struggled to get back to work, eventually relaxed, and went to rest briefly in her chambers. Not long after, Natasha entered the room as quietly as possible.

"Lady Natasha!" Thor exclaimed, throwing up his arms in greeting. "How was your first meeting of Sif?"

"Not good," she admitted, "Sif straight up told me she hates me and all Midgardians."

Thor frowned with a confused look in his gray blue eyes.

"That is unlike her. Sif had always been friendly toward Jane."

Loki entered the conversation with a small smirk on his admittedly handsome face.

"I suspect," he mused, "that the problems lies with Lady Natasha's profession of choice."

"So I'm an assassin, who cares?" Natasha shook her head. "Why does it matter?"

"I won't say another word," he said in a hurry as he was beckoned by Odin, who was just outside the room. "Thor, I believe we are needed with Father."

"Right. Lady Natasha," Thor acknowledged, giving a slight bow to her. Not knowing how to react, Natasha just stood still. Thor looked at his brother and gave him a sharp elbow to the side. Loki groaned from the unnatural strength of such a simple action, but mirrored his brother's bow toward his fiance.

"Lady Natasha," Odin raised his voice so she could hear him better, "I believe Lady Frigga is awaiting you in her chambers. I will arrange for a servant to escort you."

And, for the umpteenth time in the past day, she was left completely alone, save for the servants.

* * *

The servant had brought Natasha to a large golden door, even larger than the doors to her own bedroom.

She once again heaved the identical doorknocker into the air and released it, bracing herself for the loud echo of the knocker hitting the door.

"Come in, dear."

Natasha stepped inside Frigga's room and saw what she should have expected, but didn't.

There was a mannequin standing in the middle of the large red circular rug, and on it was an extravagant white and gold wedding gown. Natasha looked at Frigga, who sat with a small smile on her beautiful face.

"This was my wedding gown when I married Odin," she said. Natasha could see remnants of tears building up in the queen's eyes, and it was obvious she was overwhelmed with both nostalgia of her own wedding and the feeling that she was losing her son to another woman.

"I want you to have it. Wear it tomorrow to the wedding."

"Frigga..." Natasha didn't know what to say. "This is so kind of you..." And before she could say anything else, Frigga was enveloping her in a hug.

"I am truly pleased to have you as a daughter in law," Frigga said, inhaling with a shuddering breath, "I really, truly am."

"And you've been nothing but kind to me and I'm very grateful," Natasha hugged her in return.

"I only ask that you do one thing, my dear."

"Anything, Frigga."

Frigga pulled away from the redheaded beauty, sniffling and wiping a few tears away. She reached down and grasped Natasha's hands in her own and looked at her with a pleading expression.

"Please be good to my son," she begged. "Ever since he discovered his true heritage, I believe he has felt like...an outcast, or that he did not belong here in Asgard. But we love him as dearly as we do Thor."

She looked down at her feet, then back up at Natasha.

"I know that you two do not know each other very well, and you may not be the best of friends, and I understand that this wedding is arranged, but if you, his own wife, were to reject him..." She closed her eyes in an attempt to force the images that came to her mind, "he may never recover the repercussions."

Natasha didn't even want to think about what would happen if a god became emotionally scarred and likely angry and hurt over someone as 'low' as a Midgardian, especially with his emotional issues.

Would he snap and go on a killing spree, threatening to destroy her home world and everyone she loves?

Or would he retreat within his emotional defensive walls, neglecting his kingdom and refusing to utter a single word while doing so?

Frigga broke Natasha's thoughts with a sigh and a small laugh.

"Well, the gown may be ill-fitting in certain areas, given that you are enviously more voluptuous than I ever was, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem. I can fix the measurements without a problem."

And while Frigga helped her into her gown, she returned to those thoughts that even she herself admitted she did not want to think of.

One thing was for sure: Frigga was right. No matter how much she may dislike it, if Natasha were ever to reject Loki on any terms, it may compromise the safety of all these Nine Realms.

* * *

This was it.

This was the day that all Natasha's hopes and dreams went out the window.

All her dreams of becoming a strong military leader someday. Squashed. Ground into the pavement. Ran over by a car.

Instead, fate chose, in her opinion, the most pointless role for a woman ever to exist.

Being a Queen.

Today was the day she married a complete stranger.

She got out of bed, dressed in her favorite clothes from Earth, and walked out of the room, where Thor was once again waiting.

"Lady Natasha, I was ordered by Odin himself to escort you to a dressing chamber. The wedding is in a mere three hours, and we wish to be sure you're ready on time. Early, if possible," he explained. And as soon as those three little words 'mere three hours' caressed her ears, she felt an alarmingly large wave of anxiety, nerve, dread, and even nausea wash over her.

"Lady Natasha, are you feeling well?"

"Uh...y-yeah, just...nervous, I guess."

"If you need to sit down for a moment, you have only to tell me and I will fetch you whatever you may need," Thor said, concern laced in his words. Natasha shook her head, though she thinks it was merely out of attempt at politeness than actually not needing anything. Truth be told, she could use a back massage, a long sit in a sauna, and a glass - no, a bottle - of Jack Daniels.

God, that sounded so good right now.

"That's fine, Thor, just take me to where I need to go."

He rushed her back to Frigga's room, where he then let Frigga take over.

"Let's go, dear, we have to get you ready!" She said

When they arrived at the dressing room, Frigga was slightly out of breath. Not from activity, but from nerve. Frigga was nervous for her son. Who, when Natasha got a glimpse of him before she entered the dressing room, looked calmer than a stoner. Closing the door quietly behind her, Natasha was nearly dragged over to the dress.

"Here, put it on. I made all the alterations, so it should fit you now."

She slipped on the longer than floor length gown, turning so Frigga could drag the zipper upwards and tie any laces, and turned to see herself in the mirror.

Every detail about this dress was a soft, pale gold color. The dress was a strapless sweetheart neckline, and was covered with decorative rosettes of silk. It was tightly fitting to her waist but not in a painfully constricting manner. It was a near perfect fit, and even allowed quick movements, such as close combat might require. She supposed that in the unlikely event that something go wrong during the wedding and celebration, this would be handy.

The skirt portion reached just past her feet, barely covering her toes in the front. In the back, however, there was a two foot long train that had matching snow white silk lace trim. Her shoes were two inch heeled pumps with decorative silk embroidery.

While examining herself, Frigga approached from behind and gently placed a white gold tiara, which was adorned with diamonds, on her freshly curled red hair. The tiara had the thin mesh lace veil attached.

"This was also mine when I married Odin," Frigga sighed, noting the high temperature in the room and handing Natasha a glass of water. She drank slowly, relishing in the cool sensation of the icy water running down her parched throat.

"Should you and Loki give this kingdom a daughter, you can pass these items on to her as well."

Kids?

Natasha started sputtering and coughing, struggling to get the water from the wrong pipe. Frigga, startled, began to gently pat on Natasha's back, obviously unaware that patting can sometimes make it worse. Fortunately for both of them, Natasha recovered in under a few minutes.

"Perhaps you're right," Frigga said with an uneasy shrug. "It may be a little early to be discussing children. After all, you have not even married yet!"

Natasha had her suspicions that Frigga has purposely planted the idea in her mind, just to see what she would do with that idea. And it was working. She couldn't take her mind off of the idea of having children with Loki.

Not in the sense that that was all she wanted to do. Not at all, she barely knew him. But now that Frigga had mentioned it, she suspected that it would be expected of them to eventually produce a child. It was probably something that would strengthen the truce between Asgard and Jotunheim, and that would make it all the more important.

Fuck.

_Shit_.

Oh, god. Natasha isn't religious, but she found herself silently praying to whoever might be listening that they at least give her and Loki some time before they start demanding copulation for the sake of offspring. And she _swore_, if Loki expected her to put out tonight, he was dead fucking wrong.

Not that she really expected him to. He didn't seem all too thrilled with the wedding anyway.

"Are you nervous, dear?" Frigga asked.

"Being the only one from Earth in the whole realm, it's not exactly a very comfortable situation for me," Natasha said with a hint of sarcasm to her smooth voice. Frigga then looked confused.

"But dear, you won't be the only Midgardian. Thor's beloved, Jane, will also attend. In fact, she should already be in Asgard. I can arrange for you to meet her, if you-"

"_Yes!_ Uh, I mean, yes please," Natasha burst out, and then caught herself. "It would make me a lot more comfortable to finally see another...Midgardian before I get married."

Frigga smiled kindly. She explained that she would leave to find Jane and Thor, and would return shortly. This left Natasha to her thoughts until she returned.

God, as beautiful as Asgard is, she really missed New York.

She missed the bright neon lights of Times Square, the rushing cars, the hustle and bustle of the crowd on the streets. She missed ordering pizzas and having movie nights with the rest of the Avengers.

Hell, she even missed the hoodrats and that annoying sound their spray paint cans make when the shake the bottle in preparation to vandalize the brick walls of the city.

Everyone was so damn _proper_ here.

Most of all, she missed Tony. Not Clint, no. Tony.

Of course not in a romantic sense. But she wouldn't deny that any one of his sarcastic remarks would be enough to lift her spirits right about now.

At least she would be able to visit every now and then. And at least she was still a part of the Avengers.

* * *

"Natasha, the ceremony is about to begin."

And here comes the heart attack.

Thor waited outside, wearing something that looked almost the same as his usual armor, but instead of red and silver, it was black and gold.

"Well," she said, her voice wavering, "anything I should know about the procedure of an Asgardian wedding before I go out there and make a fool of myself?"

Thor's booming laugh echoed in the golden halls.

"Dear Natasha, you will not make a fool of yourself," he assured her with no success. "We believed that this was an opportune chance to study the cultures and ways of the Midgardians, as we know surprisingly little of them. Therefore, we made our best attempts to create an authentic Midgardian wedding. What better way to learn than to witness it ourselves?"

Natasha nodded. Thor then informed her that there would be a few differences.

"There will not be any vows spoken by the bride and groom. We have a different procedure that is equivalent. You will just have to see for yourself, I'm afraid," Thor said. "And we thought, in your best interests, not to force you to hand-feed sugary confections to my brother."

"That's a load off my mind," she admitted. "Will anyone be giving me away?"

"What?"

"You know, giving me away?"

It was obvious she had to explain.

"In a traditional wedding, the father of the bride would walk down the aisle with her, and when they reach the groom and priest, he would basically release his custody or responsibility over to her husband, essentially giving her away." She said.

"Oh," Thor said with a heavy sigh. Sheepishly, he admitted, "We must have overlooked that detail."

"It's fine, I don't have a dad anyways."

What a conversation killer. Nice job, Natasha.

* * *

Thor and Natasha stood before the, once again, golden doors, waiting for their queue. Natasha could hear what sounded like hundreds, if not thousands of people chattering away excitedly.

"There's, uh...a lot of people in there, huh?" she said with a nervous gulp.

"There hasn't been a royal wedding is Asgard for almost three thousand years. The last known wedding was of Odin and Frigga. They're all very excited."

_What._

"But how can that be three thousand years ago? They're still alive!"

Thor gave her a strange look.

"Asgardians live much, much longer than Midgardians. In fact, both Loki and I are approaching our two thousand year mark! Surely someone must have told you this?"

Natasha felt like she was going to faint._  
_

"And not long after today, you will eat the apples from Idun's tree, and you, too, will live the lifespan of an Asgardian."

No, she was _going_ to faint.

"W-what!?" she whimpered. Thor only looked at her worriedly.

But fainting would have to wait, because in just a few moments, those doors would open, and she would be signing her death warrant, aka marriage to a complete stranger.

And by in a few moments, I mean now. Natasha could hear the trumpets start their melody, and she could feel her stomach dropping out of her butt. She did all she could to hide any physical evidence of her nerve, but she was trembling beyond all control.

The huge doors opened, and Thor led Natasha to her doom.

* * *

Loki hated this. He hated it more than he hated the summertime and it's glaring sun and stifling heat. He was sure Natasha wasn't keen either, but he wanted to go out into the forest and kill as many creatures as he could find.

But this was for the sake of his entire realm, therefore his personal feelings would have to be shoved aside and disregarded completely. He could feel his throat being shoved up his throat and into his mouth when the huge doors hiding his bride began to creak open. She took the first step into the room on the long blue carpet, with gold trim (almost everything is gold in Asgard), and when he saw her he couldn't deny that his bride was, indeed, quite beautiful.

To Natasha's surprise, Thor had even had the musicians learn Canon in D, which, for those of you that don't know, is one of the traditional musical pieces that a bride will walk down the aisle to. It was lovely.

Loki agreed. He found Midgard to be rather dull in most areas, but when it came to music, their realm was just as colorful, if not more so, than Asgard. He has been to Midgard before, back when Mozart was still alive, even. It was nothing short of a treat to be able to attend his concerts and listen to his masterpieces in the flesh. He was very, very fond of classical Midgardian music. Canon was, actually, one of his favorites.

Before he knew it, his bride was already halfway down the aisle, which was considerably longer than any aisle in any chapel in Midgard. His bride almost looked annoyed at the sheer length of the thing. He could understand that. He imagined that, like, him, she'd rather "cut the bullshit", as Midgardians say, and get it over with.

He got a closer look at her, and he realized that this was Frigga's wedding dress. He wasn't alive to witness her marriage to Odin, but he had seen it lying about in her chambers now and then.

It looks stunning on Natasha, the soft gold color gently contrasting with her spicy red hair.

Finally, Natasha had reached where he was standing, and she moved to stand beside her groom.

There, performing the ceremony, was none other than Odin himself.

He began with the traditional Midgardian "dearly beloved", and the droning lasted for a good fifteen minutes.

Throughout the whole thing, Natasha couldn't get her head off the idea of children, thanks to Frigga. Crap, what if they were expected to have babies as soon as possible? She's only twenty four, she's not ready for that yet!

Loki glanced at his bride. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. Though he didn't want to get married to Natasha, he wished Odin would just finish the damn ceremony and be done with it, rather than have to stand in front of all of Asgard, sweating profusely. He never did like crowds.

They were finally nearing the climax of the ceremony. The kiss.

"Do you, Loki Odinson," Odin said with pride, "take this woman to be your wife?"

"I do," Loki said. He didn't feel anything in particular; he had rehearsed this wedding over and over again int he company of Odin and Thor. He smoothly slipped the white gold ring onto Natasha's delicate white finger.

"And do you, Natasha Romanoff, take this man to be your husband?"

To the crowd, it was a fleeting moment that passed between Odin's question and her answer. But to her it was like the world stopped. She didn't want this. At all. And not just the fact that it was Loki.

She didn't want marriage. Period.

Just another commitment that she was afraid to let down.

No, she wanted to leave; she had to leave. She had to get out of this room. This huge, expansive, _suffocating_ room. She almost felt a tear being brought to her eye, but she forced it down.

"I do."

For the sake of her home and his, it was something that had to be done.

"Then by the power invested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife."

Natasha could feel her heart dying as she heard him utter those dreaded words.

"You may now kiss the bride."

They turned to face each other. Loki's clenched jaw and fists were telltale signs that his feelings on the marriage were similar, if not identical, to her own. Uncomfortable. Awkward. Something neither of them wanted, but they did anyway in a selfless thought.

Natasha stood looking at the wall far behind his head. Anything but looking at his face; she couldn't bear this unbelievable pressure. Slowly, but surely, his face grew nearer to her own, and it became hard to ignore as it occupied all in her vision.

Their lips touched. Neither moved. It was not a kiss of love and affection. It was a kiss of duty.

The crowd erupted into gleeful cheers, Thor's among the loudest, and Frigga had gleaming tears on her cheeks.

But the bride and groom only wished they could share in that same enthusiasm.

* * *

"A toast!"

Volstagg rose his hearty glass of mead, though an argument could be made for a keg as a better term.

"May your marriage be long, happy, and prosperous as that of our Allfather and his lady Frigga."

The crowd cheered once more, all downing the drink without hesitation downed their glasses. Natasha tipped her head back and felt the cold drink slide down her throat. It wasn't unlike a beer, however it was much sweeter. She found herself enjoying it to the last drop. She could enjoy the reception and its bounty, if nothing else. Loki sipped on his thoughtfully, looking at her. Analyzing her would be a better way to put it. But she wasn't going to stop him; they were married now and he had no reason not to.

Loki let the celebration pass, though the few hours dragged on longer than seemed possible. Soon, it came to the point where everyone was either tired and/or drunk, or they wanted to leave the newly married couple to their own devices.

Natasha had been the first one, out of the entire Kingdom, to leave the celebration to retire to her - no, their - room. He remained with Thor for a few minutes longer, but soon after, he followed suit.

He slowly opened the door to their room, but quickly turned around in embarrassment when he was met with the sight of Natasha's nude form as she dressed in her sleepwear.

"I do apologize, Lady Natasha," he began, "I had not thought to knock."

"It doesn't matter."

Those were the only words she spoke to him before he heard the bed shift under her weight and he knew it was safe to look. He said nothing, but moved to a more private corner of the room and undressed himself as well.

He sat on the edge of the bed, slowly drawing his legs over the edge and shuffled himself underneath the blankets. Despite the fact that her appearance was not unattractive in the least to him, and the same could be said for him in her case, both were thanking their lucky stars that the bed was as large as it was. Both lay at either far end, as far from the other as possible.

And after what seemed like ages, both fell into an uncomfortable slumber.

* * *

**Woops, sorry for taking so long.**

**I suck.**

**Bye.**


End file.
